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Daily Archives: December 4, 2012

Fuquan Edwin tallied 22 points and 10 rebounds—most of which came in the first half—and Kyle Smyth carried the Pirates across the finish line in a 68-59 verdict over resilient NJIT. Thoughts & quotes:

First off, let’s give NJIT some credit. The Highlanders have played three Big East teams within single digits, losing to SHU, Providence and St. John’s by a combined 18 points. This program gotten better each year under Jimmy Engles and is certainly no longer a laughingstock. NJIT plays smart and hard (witness the 43-40 rebounding edge, including 13-8 on the offensive glass).

About those rebounds . . . that’s a problem for the Pirates. With Patrik Auda sidelined and Kevin Johnson still developing, rebounding has to be a collective effort. If you’re getting outscored 14-6 in second-chance points by NJIT, what are Syracuse, Louisville and Pitt gonna do?

That’s why Johnson’s progress is huge right now. He’s coming along bit by bit, and Kevin Willard’s confidence in him is growing. He’s a long way from being an impact player, but with his size and hints of skill, this is a player to watch.

What an addition Kyle Smyth has turned out to be. We realize the postgrad guard had a bad shoulder and didn’t fit perfectly into Tim Cluess’ system, but it’s hard to believe he didn’t have a bigger role at Iona. His performance off the bench prevented an upset (13 points on 4-of-6 3-point shooting, 2 assists, 0 turnovers, a game-icing 4-point play). He plays like a coach and even looks a little bit like a young Willard (with hair).

Brian Oliver (1-for-10, 3 turnovers) hasn’t found a comfort level. We know he can score—you don’t average double figures in the ACC by accident—but his offensive game has been more passive than active. As Willard indicates, not having a clearly defined position hurts. But the coach and player have to figure it out for the Hall to reach its potential this season.

Side note: Attendance is announced at 6,203. Divide by three for the actual.

KEVIN WILLARD

On Kyle Smyth: “He’s a great glue guy. Everybody likes playing with him . . . He was valuable from the moment he set foot on campus . . . He keeps the game very simple: He plays hard and he makes shots, doesn’t try to do anything he can’t do.”

On NJIT: “Jim (Engles) has done an unbelievable job. They had Providence beat, they were up 15 at St. John’s, they come here and have us life and death. I think Jim has done as good of a job as John Dunne. He’s got a good group of kids who plays hard and he coaches them the right way.”

On rebounding as a concern: “Every game. We force teams to take a lot of threes and that leads to deep rebounds. We’re giving up a lot of long rebounds. Teams are getting second possessions and making us work. That’s another reason we’re struggling a little bit.”

On Kevin Johnson: “He played well, came in and gave us energy. Kevin doesn’t know all of the offense right now. He’s a little limited in what he can do, but he’s progressed nicely. He’s come miles and miles and miles in a short period of time.”

On Brian Oliver’s shooting: “I know how well Brian can shoot the ball. Brian’s problem is he’s never ready to shoot the ball. It’s been an issue and we have shown him on film. He needs to move around like Fuquan and Smyth, looking for his shot. He’s standing when he is catching the ball and then trying to shoot. We’ve had to move him around a little bit (position-wise), but it’s also him. He’s super-smart and super-stubborn. He thinks too much and he’s always analyzing.”

On Aaron Geramipoor’s DNP: “He has a boo-boo . . . Kevin Johnson is our backup (center) right now. If he keeps playing the way he is, Aaron is going to have a hard time getting back in.”

If you go to St. Joe’s like I do, then there are two reasons you probably know Karl Towns is going to Kentucky. One is because you were likely at the press conference he held in the school gym Tuesday morning. If for some reason you missed that, then you probably know because the whole school is talking about it on Twitter, Facebook and other social-media outlets. …continue reading →

METUCHEN—With three live television cameras and 800 of his fellow St. Joseph High School students looking on Tuesday morning, 6-foot-11 basketball phenom Karl Towns broke the news everyone expected to hear: He intends to play college ball at the University of Kentucky.

The Piscataway resident, who is widely regarded as the country’s best sophomore, chose the defending NCAA champions over Duke and Florida during a 30-minute live MSG Varsity broadcast from St. Joseph’s gym.

“I feel this school gives me the best opportunity to blossom as a player and a person,” Towns said, “and at the same time allows me a chance to get one of the most coveted rings in the world, and that’s a national championship ring.” …continue reading →

About the Author

Jerry Carino has covered sports for the Gannett New Jersey newspapers since 1996 and has been on the college basketball beat since 2003. A native of Old Bridge, he also teaches journalism at Kean University.Email Jerry.